In Emei, start by obtaining golden attributes.

Chapter 498 Chang'an, Thyme Winery
However, since it was just a passing fancy, Gu Shaoan and Mei Jiangxue did not dwell on the Yue Buqun issue any further.

Mei Jiangxue changed the subject: "By the way, Senior Brother, is the 'Nine Swords of Dugu' really that powerful?"

Gu Shaoan nodded and said reasonably, "This 'Nine Swords of Dugu' incorporates the understanding of the swordsmanship of this senior Dugu. The nine sword techniques contain the essence of the swordsmanship. As martial artists cultivate the 'Nine Swords of Dugu' and their mastery of the swordsmanship improves, they can also step into the swordsmanship and condense sword intent."

"If one can master this martial art to the level of 'transforming form into intent' or 'transforming intent into domain,' one can step into the second realm of swordsmanship, greatly increase one's strength, and become a master of swordsmanship."

Mei Jiangxue exclaimed in surprise, "It can actually allow someone to directly step into the second realm of swordsmanship?"

With Gu Shaoan, a master swordsman, by his side, and with some special chess games in his possession, Abbess Miejue, Juechen, Juejue, Zhou Zhiruo, and Yang Yan all entered the first realm of swordsmanship.

Even Mei Jiangxue has an extremely strong talent in swordsmanship. According to Gu Shaoan, she is only one step away from entering the first realm of swordsmanship.

Currently, only Zhou Zhiruo and Yang Yan within the Emei Sect are expected to reach the second realm of swordsmanship in the next few years.

For figures like Abbess Miejue and Abbess Juechen, reaching the second realm of swordsmanship seems a distant dream.

This is even with Gu Shaoan, a sword prodigy, guiding the Emei Sect.

This shows just how difficult it is to reach the second level of swordsmanship.

In the words of Abbess Wujue, if it weren't for Gu Shaoan, they would at most have improved their swordsmanship in their entire lives, and it would have been extremely difficult for them to step into the path of swordsmanship and condense their sword intent.

And this "Nine Swords of Dugu" can actually help martial artists successfully enter the second realm of swordsmanship.

In Mei Jiangxue's view, this single function is enough to make it a treasure trove of swordsmanship.

After thinking for a moment, Mei Jiangxue asked, "Although the Dugu Nine Swords is so miraculous, judging from Feng Qingyang's age, his mastery of the Dugu Nine Swords is not very good. It seems that it is very difficult to cultivate."

Upon hearing this, Gu Shaoan said, "Martial arts like the Dugu Nine Swords especially emphasize comprehension. Those who lack comprehension may find it difficult to reach the level of perfection even if they dedicate their entire lives to it, let alone the latter two realms."

Mei Jiangxue glanced sideways and said, "So the reason why Feng Qingyang's understanding of the 'Nine Swords of Dugu' is not good enough is because he lacks comprehension?"

Gu Shaoan shook his head and said, "He is not."

Seeing Mei Jiangxue's confusion, Gu Shaoan explained, "Feng Qingyang's talent is not low; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to leave such a good name in the martial arts world."

"But truly superior swordsmanship requires not only the martial artist's comprehension and talent, but also the corresponding state of mind."

"The name of this 'Nine Swords of Dugu' is derived from the word 'Dugu'. The sword technique emphasizes offense over defense, anticipating the enemy's moves. It requires the user to have an indomitable and domineering attitude. Only in this way can the mind and the sword be in harmony, and the person and the sword technique be in sync."

"But after the battle of Huashan sword qi, Feng Qingyang lost all his spirit and hid in the Huashan Qi Sect like a stray dog, living in anonymity for decades."

"On the path of swordsmanship, mental state comes first, and comprehension comes second."

"When the heart dies, the sword in the hand dies too."

“Feng Qingyang’s practice of the Dugu Nine Swords with such a mindset was naturally counterproductive. Therefore, even though Feng Qingyang made a breakthrough on the spot and reached the level of ‘transforming form into meaning’ in the Dugu Nine Swords, the meaning within it only carried the sword momentum of the Dugu Nine Swords, not his own momentum. No matter how exquisite the sword technique was, its power could not be fully exerted in his hands.”

Hearing Gu Shaoan's words, Mei Jiangxue looked thoughtful.

Seeing this, Gu Shaoan said, "You must remember that sword moves are dead, but people are alive. The sword is in the hands of people and is also controlled by them. In the end, all martial arts must be absorbed and transformed into one's own, so as to walk one's own path of the sword."

"While martial arts may vary in strength, the strongest element is always the human. Human intention is the sword intention. Only by imbuing the sword moves with human intention can one create a good sword move."

"Otherwise, one will be like Feng Qingyang, who has sword moves in hand and sword techniques in mind, but the sword he wields is like stagnant water, having only the form and the substance."

"Even a martial art like the 'Willow Floss Sword Technique,' which is practiced by Emei disciples, can still unleash considerable power in the hands of Senior Sister Zhou."

Upon hearing this, Mei Jiangxue nodded earnestly and said, "Jiangxue has remembered it."

Gu Shaoan nodded slightly.

There are some things that Gu Shaoan won't say too explicitly.

After all, if she were to say it too obviously, Mei Jiangxue would simply follow Gu Shaoan's experience and guidance to help him grow.

In that case, even if Mei Jiangxue becomes stronger in the future, she will only be blindly learning from Gu Shaoan.

Gu Shaoan's swordsmanship is something that others can neither imagine nor learn.

Therefore, whether he was teaching Zhou Zhiruo, Yang Yan, or Mei Jiangxue, Gu Shaoan used the same method.

Share some suitable theories and key points with the group, planting a seed in their minds.

When their swordsmanship and swordsmanship reach this level in the future, the seeds buried in their bodies will take root and sprout, helping them to improve their swordsmanship.

Then, Gu Shaoan changed the subject.

"Over the next period of time, you will be in charge of handling any enemies or situations you encounter. If any problems arise, I will inform you afterwards."

"In addition, aside from travel and rest, your extra training time will be increased to half an hour each day."

Upon hearing that the daily training time had been increased to half an hour, Mei Jiangxue's expression stiffened.

Gu Shaoan's training was by no means as simple as the training he received from Abbess Juechen or Abbess Miejue.

Mei Jiangxue and Gu Shaoan's training consisted of only one thing: constantly dealing with Gu Shaoan's sword energy attacks within Gu Shaoan's sword domain.

It should be noted that with Gu Shaoan's current strength, even martial artists at the Celestial Realm level would be led by the nose like puppets within Gu Shaoan's sword domain, let alone a half-baked martial artist like Mei Jiangxue.

Almost every training session ended with Mei Jiangxue drenched in sweat and her face as white as a sheet.

Taking in Mei Jiangxue's expression, Gu Shaoan said, "Your foundation is no less than that of your two senior sisters, but you are lacking in martial arts. This trip to the Great Sui Kingdom will inevitably involve some battles, including some martial artists who have condensed their Yuan Qi into Gang Qi. These are the tests I will arrange for you next."

"Without sufficient training, how can you, with your current strength, contend with those martial artists who have condensed their Qi into Qi?"

Upon hearing Gu Shaoan's words, Mei Jiangxue nodded and said, "Jiangxue understands, Senior Brother, don't worry, Jiangxue will work hard."

Upon hearing this, Gu Shaoan smiled with satisfaction.

Late June. The scorching sun baked the earth, causing waves of heat to emanate from it. The city walls of Yun'an Prefecture were faintly visible on the distant horizon. The blue brick walls turned a deep gray-brown under the blazing sun, and the banners on the walls hung limply in the hot wind.

This prefecture city is located in the far east of the Great Wei Kingdom, and is a key border town between the Great Wei Kingdom and the Great Sui Kingdom. The road outside the city gate is deeply rutted with cart tracks, and the footprints of merchants and the hoofprints of soldiers are intertwined, leaving crisscrossing marks on the dry ground.

Three hundred li further east lies the border of the Great Sui Dynasty.

At the height of the day, when the heat was at its peak, Gu Shaoan and Mei Jiangxue, wearing straw hats and carrying bundles, slowly entered the city through the west gate, following the flow of people.

Sunlight slanted across the edges of the straw hats, casting dappled shadows on the two people's faces.

Mei Jiangxue raised her head slightly, her gaze sweeping across the Yun'an Prefecture from beneath her bamboo hat.

The wide, rammed-earth streets stretched straight ahead, with wine flags fluttering on both sides. Silk shops, ironware shops, and grain stores stood side by side, and the shouts of merchants mingled with the sounds of camel bells. Pedestrians dressed in various colors thronged the streets, revealing the unique prosperity of this important border town.

But the next instant, at the street corner, a group of soldiers clad in iron armor marched in formation. Their swords and spears gleamed coldly in the sunlight, and their heavy footsteps were so uniform that the ground trembled slightly.

In the shadows at the base of the wall, several men dressed in tight-fitting clothes scanned the passersby warily, their hands always resting on the hilts of their knives.

The group had just walked across one street when, a moment later, another patrol team turned around from the end of the main street.

Wherever he went, the noisy crowds unconsciously lowered their voices and made way for him.

Looking further into the city, at the watchtowers erected in various places, and the figures moving back and forth on the distant city wall, Mei Jiangxue felt for the first time the strange coexistence of prosperity and desolation at the border.

The two walked along the street and eventually stopped in front of a restaurant that looked decent.

The vermilion signboard swayed slightly in the hot wind, and the lanterns under the porch had long since faded, clearly indicating that it was an old shop.

As soon as the two crossed the threshold, a waiter dressed in shorts immediately came up to them with a big smile.

"Would you two like a meal?"

The restaurant was doing good business; at this time, there were only two or three empty tables on the first floor.

In response, Gu Shaoan inquired, "Is there a private room?"

"Yes, yes, please come, sir."

The waiter bent his back at a proper angle and enthusiastically led the two to a private room on the second floor.

Upon entering the elegant room, as Gu Shaoan and Mei Jiangxue removed their straw hats, revealing their true faces, the waiter's gaze quietly fell upon their faces.

After his gaze briefly swept across Mei Jiangxue's face, the waiter looked at Gu Shaoan, paused for a moment, and then his eyes fell on the Yitian Sword in Gu Shaoan's hand, his eyes flashing slightly.

The next moment, he quickly lowered his eyes, as if nothing had happened, and deftly poured hot tea for the two of them.

After the two ordered several special dishes from Yun'an Prefecture from the introduction, the waiter finally spoke up: "Your food will be here shortly, please wait a moment."

As soon as he finished speaking, the waiter turned and left.

Watching the waiter leave, Mei Jiangxue frowned slightly and used her true essence to transmit her voice, saying, "Senior brother, the waiter's gaze just now was a bit strange."

Mei Jiangxue's experiences were extraordinary to begin with, and she had already honed her ability to read people's expressions and moods several years ago.

Furthermore, Mei Jiangxue's internal energy cultivation has now reached the stage of Qi Condensation, greatly enhancing her five senses. How could she not notice the waiter's subtle observation?

Seeing this, Gu Shaoan calmly said, "Let's wait and see."

Mei Jiangxue nodded, but her vigilance remained undiminished.

A moment later, footsteps were heard outside the door, and the waiter pushed the door open with a tray, bringing out steaming dishes one by one.

The fragrance immediately filled the elegant room, entering the noses of Gu Shaoan and Mei Jiangxue.

Based on the smell of the food, Gu Shaoan was able to confirm that there was nothing wrong with it.

Then Gu Shaoan's gaze fell on the waiter.

A short while later, just after the waiter placed the last dish on the table, under the watchful eyes of Gu Shaoan and Mei Jiangxue, the waiter lightly flipped his wrist, and a bamboo scroll the size of a thumb was quietly left on the table.

The waiter seemed to have done nothing, respectfully stepped back, and bowed his head, saying, "Please enjoy your meal, esteemed guests."

After saying this, the waiter respectfully withdrew outside the door, gently closing the door behind him to shut out the noise from the corridor.

Glancing at the bamboo slip on the table, Mei Jiangxue raised her hand, circulated her inner energy to envelop it, then clenched her fist and crushed the bamboo slip, revealing the paper strip inside.

Seeing that there were no hidden mechanisms or medicinal powders on the bamboo slip, Mei Jiangxue then used her true energy to pull the slip into her hand and open it.

Mei Jiangxue's gaze fell on the slip of paper, and she read it softly: "Chang'an, Bailixiang Winery".

After reading those few words, Mei Jiangxue asked, "Senior brother, what does this mean?"

Gu Shaoan said, "It's nothing. I asked Elder Sun to help me investigate some things. This location should be an intelligence point of the Sun family in Chang'an."

Mei Jiangxue asked, "So, our trip to the Great Sui Dynasty is to go to Chang'an first?"

Gu Shaoan nodded and said, "Not bad!"

Finally, Gu Shaoan said, "Alright, after we eat, let's find an inn to rest for a day. Tomorrow we'll set off directly for the Great Sui Kingdom and try to arrive in Chang'an as soon as possible."

If Gu Shaoan remembers correctly, the Yang Gong Treasure Vault will appear in October of this year.

At that time, the four major clans of the Sui Dynasty will all gather in Chang'an, drawn by the Yang Gong Treasure Vault.

Gu Shaoan had no interest in getting involved in the power struggle among the four major clans in the Sui Dynasty. To avoid any complications, Gu Shaoan and Mei Jiangxue needed to arrive in Chang'an before October, secretly enter Yang Gong's treasure vault, and then take away the Evil Emperor's relic.

(End of this chapter)